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Who Killed the Firstborn Sons of Egypt?

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Yesterday I introduced the idea that the ten plagues were primarily a way for God to reveal His power over and against the impotence of the Egyptian deities. In this post, we want to consider the tenth plague in more detail, and specifically consider the question about who killed the firstborn sons of Egypt.

tenth plague - killing firstborn sons of Egypt

The Tenth Plague

First of all, it is helpful to remember that the tenth plague is not the first plague. That is, no matter how we understand the events of the tenth plague, it is critical to remember that God did not start with this plague of death, but rather, this plague followed nine specific warnings and clear demonstrations of power. 

God did not just send Moses to Pharaoh and without any warning, have the firstborn sons of Egypt struck dead. No, there was a whole series of events that led up to this terrible disaster in Egypt.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that the tenth plague was not Godโ€™s idea, nor was it the idea of Moses. The destruction of the firstborn sons of Egypt was something that the previous Pharaoh had visited upon the people of Israel 80 years earlier when the Egyptian army killed all the newborn sons of Israel two years old and younger (Exodus 1:16). This is an example of sin cannibalizing itself, so that the sins of the fathers fall upon later generations. 

But beyond even this, after the ninth plague, Pharaoh told Moses that if Moses came before him again Pharaoh would kill him (Exodus 10:28). In a way, then, it was Pharaoh who had given the ultimatum of โ€œwin or die.โ€ Pharaoh had lost every confrontation against the God of Israel, and so now Pharaoh decreed that the contest was over and even though he had lost, he would still not let Godโ€™s people go. The only way forward, then, was to finally and ultimately break Pharaohโ€™s pride.

Did God Kill the Firstborn Sons of Egypt?

In Exodus 11โ€“12, the text indicates that God decided to kill all the first-born sons of Egypt. This is explicitly stated in various locations, such as in Exodus 11:1 where God decrees that He will bring one more plague against Egypt. 

In the following verses, God states that He Himself will go into the midst of Egypt to slay the firstborn sons (Exodus 11:4-5). God later says that it is He who will kill the firstborn in the land (Exodus 12:12). To protect themselves, the Israelites are to put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their house so that when death comes, it passes over their house and goes on to those homes which are not protected by blood (Exodus 12:23).

Yet something strange happens in the text. 

There seems to be a bit of a transition in Exodus 12:23. There is a peek behind the curtains to what was really happening when the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt occurred. 

On the surface of the entire passage, it seems as if God is the one who is doing the killing. 

While Exodus 12:12 โ€œsuggests that since the Egyptiansโ€™ sinfulness had gone too far, God personally executed their firstborn โ€ฆ the Bible contains some specific references to the plagues which hint of something very different occurring” (Campbell, Light through the Darkness, 58). 

tenth plagueFor example, Exodus 12:23 says that when God passed over the doors of the houses which had been marked with the blood of the Passover lamb, He would not allow the destroyer to enter into the house to kill the firstborn of that house. 

So it was not God who struck down the firstborn sons of Egypt, but a being referred to as โ€œthe destroyer.โ€

If Exodus 12:23 provides some clarity with what was going on, it appears that Godโ€™s primary activity in the tenth plague was not in killing the firstborn sons of Egypt, but in protecting people from the destroyer that had come to kill all things.

In this way, the โ€œpassing overโ€ of the Lord is not so much the action of God in skipping a house, but in covering the house with a hand of protection so that the destroyer could not enter that house to kill the firstborn son. Exodus 12:23 indicates that there were two beings involved in the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt: There was God, who put a hand of protection over certain houses, and there was the destroyer, who sought to destroy all, but who was thwarted from doing so by the protective hand of God over certain homes. 

So just as with previous violent portrayals of God in the Bible, it seems that when the actual violence occurs, it is the destroyer who destroys, and Godโ€™s primary activity is in the arena of protection and deliverance.

Tomorrow we will look at how to understand the tenth plague in light of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. It seems that by His actions on the cross, Jesus affirms the idea that God was the deliverer in Exodus 12; not the destroyer. Until then, what questions, comments, and objections do you have to this approach?

God of the Old Testament and JesusHow can a God who says "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) be the same God who instructs His people in the Old Testament to kill their enemies?

These are the sorts of questions we discuss and (try to) answer in my online discipleship group. Members of the group can also take ALL of my online courses (Valued at over $1000) at no charge. Learn more here: Join the RedeemingGod.com Discipleship Group I can't wait to hear what you have to say, and how we can help you better understand God and learn to live like Him in this world!

Understanding the Ten Plagues

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The ten plagues were the means by which the people of Israel gained freedom from slavery in Egypt. 

While some scholars argue that the first nine plagues were non-violent, it is impossible to say that they were non-destructive. Even if it could be proved that no human died in any of the first nine plagues, it is nearly certain that countless fish, frogs, animals, and insects died over the course of these nine plagues. For example, it is quite unlikely that any fish survived the first plagueโ€”the turning of the water of the Nile into blood. The same goes for the disease on the cattle (the fifth plague), and the hail and fire of the seventh plague. 

ten plagues in Egypt

Nevertheless, as we seek to understand the violence of God in the Old Testament in light of Jesus Christ, it is the tenth plague that is of primary importance for this study, for it this plague which killed all the firstborn sons of Egypt.

The Ten Plagues and the Impotence of Egyptian Deities

However, before we consider the events of the tenth plague, it is important to recognize that all the ten plagues were at their core an attack on the powers of the Egyptian deities (cf. Gen 12:12).

The plagues were designed to show the impotence of the Egyptian idols, the supremacy of Godโ€™s power and the futility of resisting His declare will. The plagues also showed His mercy, being tailored to disrupt and humiliate the worship of their pagan deities without causing loss of human life until the final plague, which occurred only after God had exhausted every other option (Graeser, et. al, Don’t Blame God, 74).

  1. The first plague, turning water into blood, revealed the impotence of Khnum, the guardian of the river, Hapi, the spirit of the Nile, and Osiris, whose blood was the Nile. 
  2. The second plague, the frogs, revealed the impotence of Hapi and Heket, who were symbolized by frogs and were related to Egyptian fertility rites. 
  3. The third plague, that of lice, revealed the impotence of Seb, the earth god. 
  4. The fourth plague, that of flies, revealed the impotence of Uatchit, the god of flies. 
  5. The fifth plague, the disease on cattle, revealed the impotence of Ptah, Mnevis, Hathor, and Amon, Egyptian gods associated with bulls and cows. 
  6. The sixth plague, the plague of boils, revealed the impotence of Sekhmet, the goddess of epidemics, and Imhotep, the god of healing. 
  7. The seventh plague, the hail mixed with fire, revealed the impotence of Nut, the sky goddess, Isis and Seth, Egyptian agricultural deities, and Shu, the god of the atmosphere, weather, and sky. 
  8. The eighth plague, the swarms of locusts, revealed the impotence of Serapia, the deity who was to protect Egypt from locusts. 
  9. The ninth plague, that of darkness, revealed the impotence of Re, Amon-re, Aten, Atum, and Horus, all of who were related to the sun. 
  10. Finally, the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt, revealed the impotence of Pharaoh himself, who was worshiped as a deity in Egypt.

Note: For a great chart on these Egyptian deities and their relation to the Ten Plagues, see Barnes’ Bible Charts on the Plagues. 

ten plagues of Egypt

Tomorrow we will begin to look at how to read and understand the tenth plague in light of Jesus Christ. Until then, have you heard this perspective about the ten plagues revealing the impotence of the Egyptian deities? What are your thoughts about it?

God of the Old Testament and JesusHow can a God who says "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) be the same God who instructs His people in the Old Testament to kill their enemies?

These are the sorts of questions we discuss and (try to) answer in my online discipleship group. Members of the group can also take ALL of my online courses (Valued at over $1000) at no charge. Learn more here: Join the RedeemingGod.com Discipleship Group I can't wait to hear what you have to say, and how we can help you better understand God and learn to live like Him in this world!

I’ve Started Using Logos Bible Software… And you can get 15% Discount

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logos Bible software discountI have a long and varied history with Bible software packages. I like the idea of Bible software, but have often had trouble finding one that works well with my thought flow and study habits. A while back, I even wrote a complaint about QuickVerse.

So when I recently decided to give Logos a try, I was a little hesitant to use it. But I must say that I was quite pleased and surprised at how easy Logos Bible software was to use, and also how powerfully it helped my study, research, and writing routines.

To show you some of what I mean, here is a 15 minute video I made with some of the abilities of Logos Bible software that I am really pleased with.

Logos free book of the monthAnother thing I like about Logos Bible software is that every month or so, they make one of their books available as a free download. I think I have downloaded the last four or five books, and I am looking forward to getting some more free books from Logos in the future.

This month’s free book is Spirituality of the Psalms by Walter Brueggemann.

If you are thinking of buying some resources from Logos Bible Software, make sure you use this discount code to get 15% off your order:

Logos Bible Software Discount Code: tillhecomes6

There’s a “5” on the end there… don’t leave that off!

Yes, if you make a purchase using that code, Logos will pay me a bit of money as a “Thank you” for referring you to them, but that is not why I am recommending this software. I do not recommend anything I do not use myself or find helpful in my own studies, research, and writing. I recommend Logos because I think they have the best Bible study software available today.

Hey Blog Readers… I LOVE YOU!

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blog readersI want to say several things in this post. Here they are in summary:

  • I am giving up on the violence of God project
  • I am going to finish the violence of God project
  • Why? Because I love you all!

So let me explain each point in more detail.

I am Giving up on the Violence of God Project

I’ve been working for several years on this project of trying to understand the violence of God in the Old Testament, especially in light of the self-sacrificial, enemy-loving example of Jesus Christ. 

I have come to several realizations about this project: 

  1. Even if my proposal is true, it makes no real difference because it is too difficult to explain. My theory doesn’t pass the “10-Year old” test. Even if I am right, I have no business writing about it yet because I would not be able to explain my idea to a 10-year old. Until I can, I should not proceed. (Note that this 10-year old test is my own personal conviction, and is not something that all writers need to abide by.)
  2. I have trouble seeing how my view is different than the view of those who think the Bible is just plain wrong. If I have trouble seeing any real difference between my view and those who think the Bible is in error, then why am I trying so hard to argue that my view is different? Maybe my view isn’t different, and I simply need to own up to the fact that the Old Testament is wrong. But so far, I cannot own up to this idea, which means I must give up on my project until I can either (1) explain my view better, or (2) accept the idea that the Bible is somehow wrong. 
  3. I find myself not believing myself. This is the main problem. A person should be convinced of the truth of what they write, but I sometimes feel like I am trying to write to convince and persuade myself of something I don’t believe. That’s bad. 
  4. My proposal creates more problems than it solves. One test of any theological proposal is that it must have less problems than the problem it was trying to solve. I do not think that this happened with my proposal. The longer I argue it, the more problems I see. A superior theological theory should solve problems of the previous theories while creating no further problems of its own (or at least, lesser problems). Sure, my theory may have solved the one of the greatest problems in theology (at least for me), the problem about how God can appear violent in the Old Testament when Jesus in the Gospels is non-violent, but in the process of trying to explain this, I created a vast number of other problems. I do not think trading one giant problem for hundreds of smaller problems is a good trade. 
  5. I don’t think I am a theologian… For some dumb reason, I have always wanted to be a theologian, but have always been lousy at theology. It is much easier for me to study, explain, and teach specific biblical texts and passages than to synthesize and systematize broad truths found in Scripture. Maybe I should stop trying to be what I am not, and simply start playing to my strengths…
  6. I hear Greg Boyd is writing something along these lines… and he truly is a world class theologian, so I will let him do the heavy work on this subject… Ha!

I am Going to Finish the Violence of God Project

Despite everything I just wrote, I am going to press on and finish the project anyway.

I know, I know. If I am giving up on it, why finish it? Again, for several reasons: 

  1. Because I have gone too far to stop now. It feels like I am in the middle of a marathon through a desert and I desperately need a drink of water, but the only water around is at the end of the marathon, so I have no choice but to finish. Also, the bones of dozens of unfinished projects lie in my past, and I don’t want this to be another one.But so that I can be true to myself and the biblical text, I think what I am going to do going forward is to stop attempting to defend my proposal (that God accepts blame for the violence of the world), and show instead how these passages point to and are fulfilled by Jesus Christ. It’s a small difference, but I think it will be much easier to do from the Old Testament texts than what I was trying to argue. If you want to know what I mean, see the post from Tuesday about seeing Jesus in Sodom. That is what I will be trying to do going forward.But note that this is not simply some foolish desire to stubbornly finish an ill-conceived project. I may have spent hundreds (thousands?) of hours reading, researching, and writing the 155,000 words of this project (so far), but all is not lost. It was not a complete waste of time. To quote Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” (Another quote of Edison, interestingly enough, is this: “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”) 
  2. Most of what I wrote I agree with. Do not think I am jettisoning the entire project. While what I have written so far will probably not ever make it into a book, most of what I have written might find itself into various other books in the future. I agree with over 90% of what I have written. The main thing I cannot really argue any longer is the main idea of the book, that when God saw the evil which His people were going to commit, He inspired them to write about it in a way that made Him appear to be the one who commanded it. I just can’t accept this any longer. It might sound somewhat decent in theory, but when I look at the text of Scripture, I cannot get the theory to fit the text in a way that makes sense. But other than that, MOST everything else in the book I still agree with. 
  3. Beyond just finding another way that doesn’t really work, I think I may have found a new idea I want to tackle instead… (that’s how investigation works, right?) … and thankfully, continuing with this current project will allow me to transition nicely into this new idea later on down the road (if I want to). 

So… if you think I am wrong in the approach to Scripture I have been arguing so far, your concerns may have been justified… I am throwing in the towel.

Of course, if you are enjoying this current project and like where it is going, have no fear… even though I am quitting, I am not quitting. I am going to push on, with only a few minor adjustments going forward. 

And this then leads me to the final thing I want say in this post: 

I Love you All!

There are two main reasons I blog. The first is because I write to keep myself sane by thinking through writing. I have a brain that requires me to write things out in order to think them through. If I did not write, the ideas and questions would bounce around my head and muddle my brain, and I would quickly go insane. I am not exaggerating. Ask my wife. She knows when I haven’t been writing, because I start acting strangely… 

I used to just do this on my own, with college-ruled spiral-bound notebooks. I have stacks of these notebooks sitting around my office from when I used to do this in my early teenage and college years. When I started this website/blog about 13 years ago, I transitioned from writing in notebooks to writing online. This wasn’t necessarily because I wanted others to read what I wrote, but because I could type faster than I could write, and because I thought the internet was a safer place to store my “thoughts” than on paper in my office or even in files on my computer. 

till he comes forumThis leads to the second reason I write: You. Much to my surprise, as I write, I find that there are others around the world who have similar questions and ideas as the ones I am having. As you have interacted with me on these posts and with this idea, I have learned from  you, been taught and instructed by you, and have met many “kindred spirits” along the way. I consider many of  you my “online friends.” 

Just in the last week or so, several of you have left comments on some of the posts that made me see things in a whole new light and have come to a realization about some things that I have never seen before. Though I run the risk of leaving someone out, I found some of the comments and insights from Cathy and Lisa to be particularly helpful. Thank you, ladies! 

I also had some conversations about this topic with my friends Chuck McKnight and Ed Underwood. Thanks, guys! (And if you like my blog, you should go read theirs!) 

But it’s not just these people I mentioned. I love this community. I love you all! I wish we could all hang out in person some time! 

This might also be a good time to say that I am opening up a forum here on the blog to help develop this online community. It’s a bit of an experiment, and I am a bit nervous about it being taken over by religious nuts, but we’ll see what happens… 

If you want to start posting on the forum, read the forum rules here, and then register here. See you there!

The Path to Freedom by Brandon Chase

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I recently had the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of The Path to Freedom by Brandon Chase, and wanted to invite the readers of my blog to get a free copy of this eBook when it comes out. To encourage you to do so, I am posting this interview of Brandon and his new book.

Path to Freedom

Why did you decide to write The Path to Freedom?

The Path of Freedom was really a private wrestling I had with the Lord long before it was ever an eBook.

I had observed something that “bothered” me – in my own testimony, and in years of ministry with and to Christians – that is: the lack of real understanding of and Living in the Freedom we are supposed to have in Jesus.

I was a “Christian” half of my life – and had no concept of what being Free was. I have witnessed countless Brothers and Sisters taste this Freedom in some area of their life – only to seemingly fall out of it, return to old sin patterns, wrong belief, or other bondage.

The fruit of Freedom is too often not there, or fleeting.

This eBook is the culmination of my wrestling with the Lord in asking the question, “Why?” and my understanding of what He showed me about Freedom – what it is, how It is entered in to, how It is remained in, how it is grown in, how it is Lived from – and why it matters.

You are not getting another “how to” book here. Rather, this is an unveiling of “what already is,” and what it means to “see” that reality, and live from it.

How has this process changed you?

As you probably can relate, writing is a wonderful Fellowship with the Lord โ€“ I hear from Him and learn from Him in the โ€œclassroomโ€ of the keyboard.

But before I ever get to the point of actually writing, for me, the process of writing about the things of God begin in the abiding in Him and seeking His things. When I did this for the specific purpose of understanding Freedom, He was faithful to show and tell.

This process has changed me eternally in that I now โ€œgetโ€ Freedom. Please donโ€™t hear me to say I am an expert, or have fully reached the bottom of understanding. That would be like reaching the end of the Lord Himself โ€“ and He is unsearchable in His riches! But I grasp what it means to realize His Freedom, and more importantly, what Living from that Freedom looks like, far better now than before this process started.

Those who take this journey with me will too.

Who should read The Path of Freedom?

Truthfully, any sincere and seeking follower of Jesus who desires the fullness of relationship, intimacy, life and freedom in Him will benefit from The Path to Freedom.

Specifically though, you will be blessed by reading this if:

  • You wonder: what your purpose is? what the point of being a Christian is? what God “expects” of you?
  • Life is getting the best of you, and you are at the end of your rope.
  • You’ve been a “Christian” for a while, but the passion for the Lord is lacking – you feel like you are going through the motions.
  • You continue to struggle with habitual sins. You are depressed. You are fearful. You are doubtful.
  • Church and the Christian life feels empty and dead to you, and you wonder “There has to be more than this.”
  • You’ve ever questioned why so many “Christians” seem apathetic, or so easily fall back into a way of life that lacks Freedom, even after having experienced Christ on a “mountaintop.”
  • You struggle with faith or belief in God, and wonder, “What is faith?”
  • You need a fresh wind of revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How will the Till He Comes audience benefit from reading The Path to Freedom?

You have a gift, Jeremy, of challenging paradigms and ways of thinking about God, Jesus and the Church. In this process, I learned just how much wrong paradigms of belief and thinking contribute to a lack of realized Freedom. The Path of Freedom addresses many of these including:

  • Godโ€™s Goodness
  • โ€œFightingโ€ for God (which fits in nicely with your recent study on non-violence)
  • โ€œChurchโ€
  • Prayer, Bible reading, Fellowship and community
  • And moreโ€ฆ

I was challenged, and am in turn challenging sincere lovers of Jesus to see afresh their relationship with Him, and practice of following Him โ€“ to see old chains of bad paradigms broken.

Somewhat like you, I want readers to think deeper than the surface-level of the things of God, that so many of us have taken for granted and settled for, and be the few who walk deeper in the Life Jesus came to bring us.

How can readers who are interested get your eBook?

Brandon ChaseI plan to release the eBook for FREE to subscribers of my blog newsletter near the end of this month. You can get a FREE copy of The Path of Freedom when it is released by joining my newsletter list.

This will automatically subscribe you to free updates to my blog, Zลฤ“ Perissos, as well as any other future eBooks. I will always respect your privacy, and you can opt out at any time. Once you confirm your email address, youโ€™ll receive a private link to the PDF that you can download.

Any closing thoughts?

Iโ€™m praying that The Path to Freedom opens eyes to more – More Freedom, More Life, More Jesus – and inspires us to live, really live free.

The world and the Church are hungry, starving, for the people of God to realize their freedom – and to live it.

Be one of the few.

Thank you, Jeremy for this opportunity to share. Blessings!

Seeing Jesus in Sodom

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Yesterday, we briefly looked at an alternative way of reading the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 which showed that God did not destroy these cities, but worked to rescue and redeem people from the destruction that these cities had brought upon themselves.

I concluded that post by saying that there were various texts in Scripture which supported this perspective so that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is also the God revealed in the events surrounding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In this post we look at some of these other texts, and in so doing, can hopefully see Jesus in Genesis 19.

Sodom and Gomorrah

God’s Compassion for Sodom and Gomorrah

It is first important to notice that Sodom and Gomorrah were not the only cities which were destroyed. Genesis 14:2, 8 lists the names of five cities of the plain. The five cities are Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Genesis 19:25 indicates that the entire plain was to be destroyed, and everything that lived upon it, including plants. This would have meant that all five cities were to be destroyed; not just Sodom and Gomorrah.

Yet when Lot begs leave to flee to Zoar instead of to the mountains, he is given permission and is told that Zoar will not be destroyed (Genesis 19:19-21). So already we see that because God knew of Abrahamโ€™s love for Lot, God had decided to rescue Lot from Sodom, and when Lot fled to Zoar, the people of Zoar were spared as well. So when Moses records the cities that were destroyed by fire and brimstone in Deuteronomy 29:23, only the four cities of the plain are mentioned: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.

This is important because the destruction of Admah and Zeboiim are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. In Hosea 11:8, God says this:

How can I give you up Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within Me.
My sympathy is stirred.

Surprisingly, the one emotional trait which seems to be present in Hosea 11:8 is compassion. God does not want Ephraim and Israel to become like Admah and Zeboiim. It seems obvious from this text that God does not desire the destruction of the wicked, and He takes no delight in their destruction.

Due to the parallelism in Hosea 11:8, it seems that God is saying this is how He felt about Admah and Zeboiim as well. He did not seek or desire their destruction, but destruction came upon them nonetheless. If God had sympathy for the people of Admah and Zeboiim the way He had sympathy for the people of Ephraim and Israel, then God is starting to look a little bit more like Jesus, for a sympathetic God does not destroy people with fire and brimstone, but seeks to rescue them instead. But the people of the plain would not be rescued, and destruction fell upon them.

Sodom and Gomorrah were Handed Over to Destruction

Sodom and GomorrahBut even more importantly, we must take note of the verbs God uses in Hosea 11:8 to describe what might happen to Ephraim and Israel if they do not turn from their ways. God says that they would be given up and handed over, just like Admah and Zeboiim. God says, โ€œHow can I give you up? โ€ฆ How can I hand you over?โ€ It seems that according to Hosea 11:8, the destruction that came upon the four cities in the plain was not directly by the hand of God, but was because the people departed from the protective hand of God, and brought their destruction upon themselves.

They had been given up and handed over to destruction, but despite what Genesis 19 indicates, Hosea 11 implies that the destruction on these cities did not come from the hand of God, but came from their departure from His hand.

No writer could more poignantly portray God’s distress at the thought of โ€œhanding overโ€ or โ€œgiving upโ€ the nation to destruction, as He would one day deliver up the Sin-bearer to redeem a lost race. He compares such a prospect to the time He gave up and handed over Admah and Zeboiim (Marilyn Madison Campbell, Light through the Darkness: A Vindication of God, 79).

This way of thinking about the destruction of the cities on the plain is seen elsewhere as well. Isaiah 3:8-9 says this:

For Jerusalem stumbled, and Judah is fallen โ€ฆ
They declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.

Once again, the impending judgment upon Judah is compared to what happened with Sodom. Through the pen of Isaiah, God does not say that He will destroy Judah as He destroyed Sodom, but rather that they will have brought this evil upon themselves. And this is exactly what happened, for Isaiah later says that God โ€œremoved the protection from Judahโ€ (Isaiah 22:8). God did not bring the destruction upon Judah, but removed the protection from Judah when they departed from His protective hand.

Sodom in Romans 1

The perspective presented in Hosea and Isaiah is echoed by Paul in Romans 1. When Paul writes about the wrath of God that came upon people in the past who committed sins similar to those of Sodom, Paul says that God โ€œgave them upโ€ and โ€œgave them overโ€ to their sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

This sort of terminology is how Paul defines the wrath of God and His divine judgment. Godโ€™s wrath is not His active punishment of sin, but rather, Him passively allowing rebellious people to follow where their sin leads and face the consequences of distancing themselves from Him.

Sodom in Jude 7

Finally, there is the reference in Jude 7 where we are told that Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surround cities suffered eternal fire because they had โ€œgiven themselves overโ€ to sin. It seems even that Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wanted to clarify about the nature and source of the fiery and eternal destruction that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Why did the fire fall? Because the people had given themselves over to sin.

Here is not even that God had given them over, but that the people had given themselves over. This is a classic example of a verse which shows that sin cannibalizes itself. When we persist in willful and rebellious straying from God and His ways, we invite the consequences of our sin down upon our own heads, so that eventually, the sin we consistently live within eventually falls upon our heads and consumes us. This is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah according to Jude.

Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jesus

So what can we say about Sodom and Gomorrah, and especially the way the text reads in Genesis 19? It seems that when the whole counsel of Scripture is considered, Godโ€™s activity in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah amounted to simply allowing them to suffer the consequences of their own sinful rebellion, while taking what steps He could to warn, rescue, and deliver as many people as possible from the fire and brimstone.

Though Genesis 19 indicates that God sent the fire and brimstone, later revelation reveals that God gave the cities up to destruction, and handed them over to the consequences of their ways. So in this way, Genesis 19 reveals God once again taking the blame for that which He does not prevent (Marilyn Madison Campbell, Light through the Darkness: A Vindication of God, 82).

Though their sin was not His fault, and though the destruction that came upon the cities was the natural consequence for their rebellion, when God handed them over to destruction, He inspired to the biblical author to state that He Himself was sending the destruction. God takes the blame and bears the guilt for a terrible event in human history which was carried out โ€œon His watch.โ€

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

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The events surrounding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are well known.

The Plan to Destroy Sodom and Gomorrah

In Genesis 18:16-21, God informs Abraham that a great outcry against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had come up before Him, and so He was going to destroy the cities if they were as wicked as He had heard. 

Abraham, knowing that Lot and his family lived in Sodom, pled with God to not destroy the cities if righteous people could be found within. In one of the most amazing and challenging passages about intercessionary prayer in the Bible, Abraham goes from persuading God to spare the cities if fifty righteous people are found within them, all the way down to only ten righteous people (Genesis 18:23-33).

The Depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19 shows some of the depths of depravity to which Sodom had sunk.

When the messengers visit Sodom, Lot invites them to stay in his house. Such hospitality was expected at that time. That night, the men of Sodom gather at Lotโ€™s house, demanding that he send the visitors out so they can rape them.

Lot, showing that he himself is not so righteous, offers the mob his two daughters instead, but the crowd will not be dissuaded, and demand that he hand over the two visitors or they will do worse to him (Genesis 19:9).

sodom and gomorrahThe visitors strike the crowd with blindness, and tell Lot to flee the city with his family because โ€œthe Lord has sent us to destroy itโ€ (Genesis 19:13). Lot pled with his two sons-in-law, but they would not flee, and ultimately, Lot was forced to flee the city with only his wife and two daughters.

Behind the Scenes in the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

The entire account pretty clearly seems to lay the direct action of the destruction of the cities in the hands of God. Aside from the statement from the messengers that God had sent them to destroy the cities (Genesis 19:13), the text says multiple times that the Lord sent the destruction, rained down the fire and brimstone, and overthrew the cities in the plain (Genesis 19:14, 17, 21, 24, 25, 29). In light of all this, the case seems pretty cut and dry: God saw the evil; God destroyed the cities.

And yet, just as with Genesis 6โ€“8, there are multiple hints within the text itself and in numerous related passages in the Bible that something else was going on behind the scenes.

The first hint is in the intercessionary prayer of Abraham to spare the city if righteous people lived within it. Though Abraham stopped at ten, one wonder how low God would have gone. Would God have gone to five? To one? What if Abraham had simply said, โ€œMy nephew, Lot, lives there. I doubt that even he is righteous, but I love him. Would you spare the city just for him?โ€ Regardless, these are questions with no answers, for they were questions that were not asked.

However, the deeper question from this intercession of Abraham relates to how God would have spared the city if He had found ten righteous people dwelling within. 

If, as has been suggested by the Chaos Theory, God cannot always stop destruction when it comes, how is it that God could have stopped this destruction if He had found ten righteous people in the city? 

If God has a policy of non-intervention, if nature is out of control, if the destroyer destroys, and if sin cannibalizes itself, how could God have stepped in and stopped all this if He had found ten righteous people in the city? 

What seems most likely is that, much like the flood and due to the various elements of the Chaos Theory, God was unable to stop the destruction of Sodom, but would do everything He could to rescue and deliver people from the impending destruction.

sodom and gomorrah

Genesis 19 seems to indicate that God knew that there were not ten righteous people in the city. 

In fact, as it turned out, there was probably not even one. Neither Lotโ€™s family nor Lot himself turned out to be righteous. 

The destruction that was coming upon Sodom and Gomorrah had been coming for a very long time, and God had been holding back this destruction, but the situation has grown so bad that the people had departed from Godโ€™s protective hand. Yet God was faithful, loving, and merciful, and did what He could to rescue as many people as possible from the fire and brimstone. When it appeared that not even Lot was going to leave the city, God almost forcibly removed Lot, his wife, and his daughters from the city as an act of pure mercy toward him (Genesis 19:16, 19). 

Though Lot and his family probably deserved to be destroyed along with everybody else, God rescued Lot and his daughters through an act of pure mercy toward Lot, and in response to the intercession of Abraham. But note that even though God tried to rescue Lotโ€™s wife, and Lotโ€™s two sons-in-law, they were unwilling to be rescued, and there was nothing God could do to prevent their destruction.

Even Lot himself did not want to obey the commands of God. When instructed to flee to the mountains, Lot argued, and begged instead to be allowed to flee to Zoar (Genesis 19:20). Since this was a city that would not be destroyed, God allowed Lot to go there instead (Genesis 19:21). Once again, we see Godโ€™s mercy at work in the midst of widespread destruction.

Yet where in this text do we see Jesus? 

If Genesis 19 is to be read in light of Jesus Christ on the cross, we need more evidence that God was taking the blame for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah rather than actively sending it. 

This is especially true in light of Genesis 19:24-25, 29 which specifically state that the fire and brimstone came from God, and that He โ€œoverthrewโ€ and โ€œdestroyedโ€ those cities, along with all the inhabitants of the plain. This is a perfect example of what we have been arguing in this book, that God takes the blame for that which He did not prevent, that God bears responsibility for evil things that occur on His watch. Rather than destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, God did what He could to rescue and deliver people from the destruction which they had brought upon themselves. 

While this way of reading the text is not blatantly obvious in Genesis 19 itself, several other texts in Scripture provide further evidence that this is the best way of understanding Godโ€™s involvement in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We will look at these texts tomorrow.

Until then, what are your thoughts so far on this take of Sodom and Gomorrah? Does it seem too much of a stretch? Does it make sense? What objections or additional insights do you have?

The Bloody Bible

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bloody bibleThe Bible is full of bloody and gruesome portrayals, many of which are carried out at what appears to be the direct command of God. 

One atheistic author has written an entire book about these many thousands of passages in the Bible in which God blesses, causes, commands, or sanctions violence against human beings (Steve Wells, Drunk with Blood: God’s Killings in the Bible). 

But it is not just atheists who notice and are troubled by such violent texts. 

Many Christians consider the violent portions of Scripture to be the most troubling texts in all the Bible. In fact, I talked with one woman just this past week who has abandoned Christianity, largely because of the violent portrayals of God in the Bible. She said, “If there is a God, he is either is monstrous to cause such things, is impotent because he cannot stop them, or is absent and he does not care. Whichever way you go, such a god is not worthy of worship. ” 

I couldn’t agree more. 

I, too, could not worship a god like that. 

Thankfully, I don’t think those are the only three options when trying to understand the violent portrayals of God in the Bible. I have tried to present my view in previous posts. 

Yet although there are other options, this doesn’t mean it is easy to understand what is going on behind these bloody events in the Bible. 

Most difficult to assess are passages portraying God as a bloodthirsty warriorโ€”โ€œI will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours fleshโ€ (Deut 32:42)โ€”or as burning with anger so ruthless it consumes the enemy โ€œlike stubbleโ€ (Exod 15:7). Also troubling are passages ordering the Israelites to โ€œcarry out the Lordโ€™s vengeanceโ€ (Num 31:3); to โ€œkill all the boysโ€ and โ€œkill every woman who has slept with a manโ€ (Num 31:17); to โ€œmake no treaty with them, and show them no mercyโ€ (Deut 7:2); to โ€œnot leave alive anything that breathesโ€ (Deut 20:16); so that the Israelites โ€œleft no survivorsโ€ (Deut 2:34; Josh 10:39) (See Heath Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Paul Copan, eds., Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and the Old Testament Problem, 189).

Over the course of the next several months, we are going to take a brief look at several of the violent and bloody portrayals of God in the Old Testament. 

The analysis of these texts will be much shorter than the analysis of the flood in Genesis 6โ€“8 because explaining all the texts in detail would simply mean that many of the same arguments and ideas presented as an explanation for one text would simply be repeated in an explanation for a different text. (See Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God). 

Each text will be introduced in turn with a brief explanation of how God is portrayed in the passage, and this will be followed with a brief explanation of how to understand Godโ€™s actions in light of the Chaos Theory and in light of God taking on the sin of the whole world, just as Jesus did on the cross.

It must be reiterated, however, that not all the passages allow for a clear glimpse behind the curtain. While many of the violent and troubling depictions of God are explained in later texts of the Bible in a way which shows that God did not actually command or perform the evil that is ascribed to His name, many of the passages have no such explanation later in Scripture. So for those texts, we must simply rely on what we know about God through the revelation of Jesus, and also what we know about the six points of the Chaos Theory and how God has ordered the universe.

To prepare yourself for this series of posts, I strongly suggest you go read the previous posts I have written on this topic related to the Chaos Theory and the Proposal I am attempting to defend. 

What are your thoughts on the violent portrayals of God in the Bible? Have you struggled with any of the bloody events in Scripture? Which ones? 

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